GRADE 3Reading

Administered April 2015

RELEASED

Copyright © 2015, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

READING

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

A Hardworking Cat 1 A stationmaster is a person who keeps a train station running

smoothly. At Kishi Station in western Japan, however, the stationmaster is not a person at all—it is a cat named Tama!

2 As a kitten Tama was a stray without a real home. She spent mostof her time at Kishi Station. A nearby grocery store owner gaveher food. Although she had no real owner or home, Tama seemedto enjoy watching people at the station. Tama also enjoyed theattention and affection she received from passengers.

3 In the early 2000s, the train company that ran Kishi Station waslosing money. Not enough people were riding the trains. By April2006 the company could no longer afford to pay the people whoworked at the station. With no employees to help them,passengers now had to manage their own travel.

4 Even though the employees were gone, Tama stayed at thestation. She continued to greet train riders with a warm nuzzleand a purr. Soon visitors shared stories with others about the catat Kishi Station. People wanted to see the sweet cat that wasalways on duty. The train company had fun with the unusualsituation. It gave Tama the title of “Kishi stationmaster.” The jobeven came with a stationmaster’s uniform. It is a simple blackcap. Tama wears the hat every day at work. Instead of payingTama with money, the company pays her with cat food.

5 Perhaps Tama’s title was originally meant as a joke, but Tamacontinues to perform her job wonderfully, like any hardworkingemployee. She walks around the station in her uniform and greetspassengers. The black, white, and orange cat allows passengers topet her and take photographs with her. People continue to visit thestation just to see Tama.

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Tama sits at the ticket gate at KishiStation.

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6 When people come to Kishi Station to meet Tama, they spendmoney on train tickets and gift items that will remind them of her.This helps the train station. The visitors that Tama attracts alsohelp the town near the station. Visitors spend money at localshops and restaurants. The money from these purchases adds up.In 2007, Tama’s presence brought about 10 million dollars to herregion of Japan. Most importantly, this hardworking cat has helpedthe Kishi Station remain open and provide transportation forcommunity members.

7 Tama was such a good stationmaster that she was promoted. Nowcalled the “super stationmaster,” Tama has her own small office. Itis an empty ticket booth. Since Tama is getting older and now likesto nap more, she has been given two assistants that help hergreet passengers. They are both cats, of course.

8 Tama’s fame continues to grow. Tama has been featured in manynewspaper and magazine articles as well as on television showsand in video clips. There is even a picture book called Diary ofTama the Station Master, which includes photographs of Tama atwork.

9 From stray cat to famous stationmaster, life is sweet for Tama!

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1 Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

Instead of paying Tama with money, the company paysher with cat food.

This sentence helps the reader know that the train company —

A treats Tama well

B has too much food

C does not think Tama looks healthy

D wants to find a new home for Tama

2 Throughout the selection, the author describes Tama as being —

F adventurous

G brave

H friendly

J clever

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3 Why did the train company decide to operate the station without workers?

A The train company was unable to find a person who wanted the job ofstationmaster.

B The people who came to the train station were there only to see thestationmaster cat.

C The train station was located in an area where people did not want to work.

D The train company was not earning enough money to pay people.

4 Tama has been given two cat assistants because she —

F is too busy to work

G is too famous to work

H needs more time to rest

J needs more time to eat

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5 The reader can tell that Tama is allowed to stay at the station because she —

A cares for other cats

B walks people to the train

C sits inside the ticket booth

D attracts more passengers

6 In paragraph 7, the word promoted means —

F finished with a task

G discussed by others

H required to work more hours

J given a better job

7 Which sentence shows that people are interested in learning about Tama?

A She spent most of her time at Kishi Station.

B She walks around the station in her uniform and greets passengers.

C Tama has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles as well ason television shows and in video clips.

D From stray cat to famous stationmaster, life is sweet for Tama!

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8 In what way does Tama’s presence at the train station help the nearby town?

F People in the town want to work at the train station.

G People in the town enjoy taking pictures with the visitors.

H People who come to see Tama often spend money in the town.

J People who come to see Tama want to move to the town.

9 The author wrote this selection most likely to —

A show the reader how cats are different from other animals

B explain why some stray cats like to be around people

C share an opinion about why cats make great pets

D inform the reader about a special cat that lives in an unusual place

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

Healing with Happiness 1 Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams decided early in his life that he wanted

to help make the world better. Many of the patients who havevisited his hospital would agree that he has done just that.

2 Adams was born in Washington, D.C., but lived in many parts ofthe world while growing up. His father was in the army, so thefamily moved often. Moving to new places helped Adams becomegood at making friends and accepting people for who they are.

3 As a child Adams performed well in school. He especially excelledat math and science. Above all, like most kids, Adams liked to playand have fun.

4 Adams decided to become a doctor. During his medical training hedeveloped his own style of working with patients. When he talkedwith sick people, he wanted to understand how they were feeling.He was friendly and thought of ways to make them laugh, hopingto make them feel better. Some of Adams’s teachers were notpleased with his way of treating patients. These teachers believedthat being friends with patients could get in the way of being agood doctor.

5 Adams did not let his teachers’ attitude stop him from trying tomake patients laugh. One day he dressed in a clown costume. Hisbright clothes and red nose made patients smile. After that,Adams continued to wear silly costumes while studying to be adoctor.

6 After he finished medical school, Adams and 20 of his friendsopened their own hospital. They converted a large house with sixbedrooms into a hospital, where they provided free medical care.They named their hospital the Gesundheit! Institute. Gesundheitmeans “health” in the German language. It is also a funny-sounding word, which makes it a perfect name for Adams’shospital.

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7 Like at all hospitals, thedoctors and nurses atAdams’s hospital workedto make sick patients wellagain. But Adams’shospital also provided funactivities for patients.They could garden andfish. They could watch aplay or see a danceperformance. Adamsthought the patientswould begin to feel betterif they were engaged inthings they enjoyeddoing.

8 The doctors and nurses atAdams’s hospital werealso trained to be funnyand kind to patients.According to Adams,humor is very important.He thinks laughter and joy can sometimes help a sick person asmuch as any medicine. Some days Adams dresses as a clown andrides a unicycle through the halls of the hospital! He believestaking the time to be friendly and silly with people shows themthat someone cares.

9 In the 1980s, Adams took his red clown nose and left the UnitedStates to visit other countries. His goal was to make peoplearound the world feel better by providing them with medical care.He hoped to make patients feel comfortable by talking with themand telling jokes. He also brought medical supplies to the placesthat needed them most. Whether Adams was giving medical careor supplies, he made sure there was always a friendly smile underthat bright red nose!

Hunter “Patch” Adams often wearsclown clothes in public.

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10 Cracking funny jokes andmaking people laugh is aneffortless talent for some.However, it does not comenaturally to everyone. Forthose doctors who feel theyneed help, Adams spendstime teaching them how to befriendly and silly with theirpatients. He gives speechesall over the world, and he stillwears a clown costume. TheGesundheit! Institute is raising money to build a teaching centerand a bigger hospital. This hospital will also provide free care forpatients. And of course, Adams wants it to be a fun and playfulplace.

11 Adams has written books about his style of healing patients. Hewrites that you don’t have to be a doctor to help someone feelbetter. The most important thing anyone can do is visit people whoare sick. Sometimes letting someone know you care can be themost powerful cure of all.

Adams and a Child in aColombian Hospital

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10 The details in paragraph 8 show that Adams believes that —

F sometimes doctors cannot make people laugh

G sometimes humor can help people heal

H doctors should be required to wear funny costumes

J patients should be required to joke with doctors

11 Which words from paragraph 3 help the reader understand the meaning ofexcelled?

A in school

B like most kids

C performed well

D at math and science

12 What is the most likely reason Adams opened his own hospital?

F He wanted to work in a hospital that had an unusual name.

G He needed a place where he could treat patients while writing a book.

H He wanted to provide medical care to patients in the way he believed wasbest.

J He needed a place where he could teach medical workers how to makepatients laugh.

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13 How can the reader identify this selection as a biography?

A It tells about a book that Adams wrote.

B It tells about important events from Adams’s life.

C It explains details about a hospital Adams helped start.

D It describes the training that doctors receive at Adams’s hospital.

14 The photographs are included in the selection to show —

F different costumes Adams wears to amuse people

G how Adams trains people who work at his hospital

H how Adams raises money for new hospitals

J different reactions people have when Adams wears a costume

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15 In paragraph 10, the reader can use the suffix “-less” to know that the wordeffortless means —

A the result of trying hard

B without having to try hard

C a person who tries hard

D the process of trying hard

16 The author ends the selection with the information in paragraph 11 in order to —

F share advice about how the reader can help sick people

G describe one way Adams makes people laugh

H provide the reader with information on how to become a doctor

J identify the number of books Adams has written

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

Climbingby Aileen Fisher

The trunk of a tree is the road for me on a sunny summer day.

Up the bark 5 that is brown and dark through tunnels of leaves that sway and tickle my knees in the trembly breeze, that’s where I make my way.

10 Leaves in my face and twigs in my hair in a squeeze of a place, but I don’t care!

Some people talk 15 of a summer walk through clover and weeds and hay.

Some people stride where the hills are wide and the rocks are speckled gray.

20 But the trunk of a tree is the road for me on a sunny summer day.

From IN THE WOODS IN THE MEADOW IN THE SKY by Aileen Fisher. Copyright © 1965, 1993 Aileen Fisher. All RightsRenewed and Reserved. Used by permission of Marian Reiner on behalf of the Boulder Public Library Foundation, Inc.

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17 The speaker is tickled when —

A the wind blows leaves against her

B twigs get tangled in her hair

C she walks through a field

D she climbs a hill

18 Lines 10 through 13 show that the speaker —

F is not certain when she will stop climbing

G knows of a perfect spot to rest while climbing

H agrees with what others say about climbing trees

J is not bothered by the challenges of climbing trees

19 What part of the tree is compared to a road?

A The trunk

B The leaves

C The bark

D The twigs

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20 According to the speaker, climbing a tree can be difficult because —

F the bark on the tree is rough

G there are too many people trying to climb the tree

H there is not a lot of space to move around in some areas of the tree

J the leaves on the tree do not provide enough shade from the sun

21 In line 17, what does the word stride mean?

A Sleep

B Fall

C Build

D Walk

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22 Which line from the poem helps the reader imagine the speaker’s experiencewhile climbing the tree?

F through tunnels of leaves that sway

G that’s where I make my way

H where the hills are wide

J But the trunk of a tree

23 Which of these lines from the poem rhyme?

A Lines 2 and 4

B Lines 8 and 9

C Lines 11 and 13

D Lines 15 and 16

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

Good Question, Chowderheadby Melissa Herr

1 My name is Chelsea Chowderhead. A chowder is a stew or thicksoup. My father says that our early ancestors may have inventedchowder. I wonder if our early ancestors got made fun of all thetime, too. For me, the last name teasing began as soon as Istarted school. So when my family moved to South Carolina, Idecided that it was my chance for a fresh start. I asked my dad if Icould change my name.

2 “But the Chowderhead name has a long and rich history—,”Dad started.

3 “I know, I know. We were makers of thick soups or stews.”

4 “Why do you want to change it?” he asked. My dad always askslots of questions.

5 I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I didn’t want to gothrough another school year as a Chowderhead, either. “I getteased all the time. Even a compliment like ‘Good idea,Chowderhead’ sounds mean.”

6 “I know it’s not always easy being a Chowderhead,” said Dad.“I’ve been a Chowderhead my whole life, and I’ve been teased alot. But you shouldn’t change who you are. Let people get to knowyou first and your name later.”

7 “How can people get to know me before they know my name?”I asked.

8 He said, “Ask good questions.”

9 I looked at him blankly. He went on, “When you meet someonenew, ask them a question. It can’t be a mean question, and it hasto be something that you’re really curious about. Once people

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start talking about themselves, they don’t judge you. They’re justhappy that someone is interested in what they have to say.”

10 Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day ofclass. As soon as I got to my classroom, a girl named Claireintroduced herself. I noticed that Claire was wearing pretty wovenbracelets. I asked her where she got them. Her face lit up, andshe explained that she made them herself. She’d gotten abracelet-making kit for her birthday, and these were her first try.She offered to make me one.

11 By lunch, I’d talked to lots of people and was getting the hangof finding the right question. But there were two kids, twinbrothers, who didn’t seem to talk to anyone but each other. Whenthey looked at me, I felt as if they already knew that I was aChowderhead. Still, my dad’s advice had worked out well, so Idecided to give it one more try. I asked Claire if we should sit withthe twins. She looked a little surprised, but shrugged hershoulders and followed me.

12 “Do you mind if we sit with you?” I asked. The twins stared atus. I sat down and opened my milk. No one said anything. Irealized that if the twins never said anything, I’d never think of aquestion. Claire didn’t say anything, either. I looked at theirlunches for some kind of clue and noticed that the lunchboxeswere identical. That’s when it came to me.

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13 “What’s it like being a twin?” I asked.

14 The twins looked astonished. Then they both started talking atthe same time.

15 “No one has ever asked us that!” one said.

16 “Most of the time it’s good,” the other said.

17 It turns out that being a twin is as complicated as being aChowderhead. When you’re a twin you always have someone totalk to and have lunch with, but people think that you’re exactlyalike.

18 In no time at all we were laughing and talking. Then one of thebrothers said, “I’m Nicholas, and this is my brother, Nathaniel.What’s your name?”

19 I gulped, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m ChelseaChowderhead.”

20 “Chowder? Like the soup?” asked Nathaniel.

21 “Yes,” I replied, looking down and blushing. “Like a thick soupor stew.”

22 “Hey, cool. Do you and Claire want to come over after schooland play basketball with us?” Nathaniel asked.

23 “I’d love to,” I said.

24 “Me too,” Claire agreed.

25 And that is how I learned to ask good questions and becamefriends with Nicholas and Nathaniel Noodlenoggin.

“Good Question, Chowderhead” story © SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN. All rightsreserved.

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24 Which sentence best shows Chelsea’s problem in the story?

F My dad always asks lots of questions.

G I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I didn’t want to go through anotherschool year as a Chowderhead, either.

H Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class.

J But there were two kids, twin brothers, who didn’t seem to talk to anyone buteach other.

25 Read the dictionary entry.

judge \ıjəj\ verb1. to listen to and decide a court case2. to choose the winner of a contest3. to form an opinion about someone4. to make a careful guess

Which meaning of judge is used in paragraph 9?

A Meaning 1

B Meaning 2

C Meaning 3

D Meaning 4

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26 Paragraphs 18 through 25 are important because they help the readerunderstand —

F how Chelsea thinks of ideas to talk about when meeting people

G why the twins don’t make fun of Chelsea after they learn her name

H what activities the twins and Chelsea both find interesting

J when Chelsea plans to spend time with her new friends

27 Chelsea’s conversation with her father shows that he —

A understands how she feels about her name

B knows she will appreciate her name someday

C believes their name is more interesting than other names

D thinks she misunderstands what kids say about her name

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28 What is the best summary of this story?

F Chelsea talks to her father about how she feels about their last name.Chelsea’s father tells her about the long history of their family name and givesher some advice.

G Chelsea is interested in changing her last name, but her father helps herunderstand why that is not a good idea. Chelsea goes to school and sits withtwin brothers at lunch.

H Chelsea wants to change her last name before going to a new school. Aftertalking to her father, she follows his advice and is able to make friends at hernew school.

J Chelsea is nervous about going to a new school because she thinks it will bedifficult to make new friends. When she goes to her new school, she meets anice girl and feels much better.

29 Read this sentence from paragraph 10.

Her face lit up, and she explained that she made them herself.

The author includes this description of Claire to show that she is —

A embarrassed that Chelsea notices her bracelets

B unsure why Chelsea asks about her bracelets

C worried that Chelsea might make better bracelets

D pleased that Chelsea is interested in her bracelets

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30 Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?

F I asked my dad if I could change my name.

G “I get teased all the time.”

H “But you shouldn’t change who you are.”

J In no time at all we were laughing and talking.

31 In the last paragraph, the reader learns that Chelsea —

A is not sure whether the twins really like her

B does not want Claire to find out how she feels about her name

C is not the only person who experiences her problem

D does not want to play with the twins after school

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

One Giant Paper Airplane 1 The Wright brothers made their famous first airplane flight in

North Carolina in 1903. More than 100 years later, 12-year-oldArturo Valdenegro enjoyed his own kind of fame when a giantpaper airplane that he helped design flew over the desert inArizona.

The Great Paper Airplane Fly-Off

2 Arturo’s adventure started with a contest called the Great PaperAirplane Fly-Off. It was organized by the Pima Air and SpaceMuseum in Tucson, Arizona. The goal of the contest is to helpchildren learn more about how airplanes fly and to encouragethem to explore science and inventing.

3 The rules of the contest say that all airplanes have to beconstructed from one piece of letter-size paper. The paper can befolded and cut as many times as needed. But the finished planecannot contain any glue, tape, staples, or paper clips.

4 Arturo and about 200 other children ages 6 to 14 entered thecontest. The winner of the contest would be the person who madethe paper airplane that flew the farthest.

5 The 2012 Great Paper Airplane Fly-Off had four rounds ofcompetition. In the first three rounds, the children were put intosmall groups and took turns flying their planes. The plane thatflew the farthest in each group was the winner of the round. Eachwinner went to the next round and repeated the same process.But the final round was different. The children did not fly their ownpaper airplanes. Instead, a paper-airplane Guinness World Recordholder named Ken Blackburn flew each of the planes. Arturo’spaper airplane flew the farthest. He won the contest. But winningwas just the start of his adventure.

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Arturo’s Desert Eagle

6 As part of the contest, the winner’s plane design was used tocreate a giant paper airplane. The museum brought together ateam of experts to build a much larger version of Arturo’s airplane,with Arturo’s help. They used a similar design but with materialsthat could fly higher and farther than a small paper airplane. Theteam built the huge plane out of a strong type of paper. By thetime the plane was finished, it was 45 feet long and weighed 800pounds. They named it Arturo’s Desert Eagle.

7 Thseepafly.

e next step was to whether the giant

per airplane could At 800 pounds this

plane was too heavy tothrow like a typical paper airplane. Instead,a helicopter lifted theplane into the air witha strong chain. Oncethe plane reached a height of 2,703 feet, it was released over anopen, unpopulated area in the desert. During its short flight theplane reached a speed of 98 miles per hour. Then it crashed intothe desert. It was a messy landing, with broken parts scattered allover the ground. But because the plane flew for six seconds, theteam had a reason to celebrate.

The Museum Display

uro’s Desert Eagle will not be forgotten. A part of the wing andveral other pieces are now on permanent display at the Pima Aird Space Museum. The museum plans to continue offering its

paper airplane contest to young scientists. The museum hopesthat Arturo’s Desert Eagle will inspire young paper airplanedesigners to practice their skills. Just like Arturo, their winningdesigns may soar into history one day!

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Ken Blackburn’s Simple Paper Airplane

1. Get a piece of typing paper and crease it length-wise

2. Fold one corner to the center crease

3. Fold the other corner to the center line

4. Fold in half

5. Fold one wing down

6. Fold the other wing down

7. Fold the wings out, and add paper clips to nose (3 small, 2 big)

8. Bend the back of the wing up a little bit

Throw it gently forward. If it needs adjusting, try another paper clip on the nose, and adjust the amount you bend the back of the wing up.

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32 Which section provides information about the rules of the contest?

F The Great Paper Airplane Fly-Off

G Arturo’s Desert Eagle

H The Museum Display

J Ken Blackburn’s Simple Paper Airplane

33 Which of these is a synonym for the word scattered in paragraph 7?

A Found

B Buried

C Carried

D Spread

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34 What is the best summary of the section titled “Arturo’s Desert Eagle”?

F A team built a giant paper airplane. It could fly higher and farther than a smallpaper airplane. A helicopter was used to release the giant paper airplane intothe air.

G Arturo Valdenegro won the paper airplane contest after several rounds ofcompetition. He worked with experts at the museum to build a giant paperairplane. It was called Arturo’s Desert Eagle.

H After the contest a team built a giant paper airplane. It was based on thedesign of the winning paper airplane. A helicopter released the paper airplaneinto the air. After a short flight the paper airplane crashed into the desert.

J A boy named Arturo Valdenegro won a paper airplane contest. Winning thecontest meant that his airplane design would be used to build a giant paperairplane. The giant paper airplane was called Arturo’s Desert Eagle.

35 The photographs included in the section titled “Ken Blackburn’s Simple PaperAirplane” help the reader —

A choose the best design for a paper airplane

B understand the steps for making a paper airplane

C understand how a paper airplane should be thrown

D select the best kind of paper for making a paper airplane

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36 One reason the Pima Air and Space Museum has a paper airplane contest is to —

F give people a reason to visit the museum

G teach children how to make objects out of paper

H show visitors that there are different kinds of airplanes

J encourage children to become more interested in science

37 Which sentence from the selection is best supported by the photograph next toparagraph 7?

A The goal of the contest is to help children learn more about how airplanes flyand to encourage them to explore science and inventing.

B At 800 pounds this plane was too heavy to throw like a typical paper airplane.

C During its short flight the plane reached a speed of 98 miles per hour.

D The museum plans to continue offering its paper airplane contest to youngscientists.

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38 What happened to Arturo’s Desert Eagle at the end of its flight?

F It broke into pieces.

G It got stuck in the sand.

H It was carried away by a helicopter.

J It was rebuilt to inspire other children.

39 How is the paper airplane in “Ken Blackburn’s Simple Paper Airplane” differentfrom the paper airplane Arturo made in the contest?

A It has staples.

B It uses paper clips.

C It is folded many times.

D It uses one piece of paper.

40 Arturo won the paper airplane contest because his plane —

F flew the greatest distance

G reached the fastest speed

H had the most original design

J had the fewest number of folds

BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERSON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

867179 ISD72331 2 3 4 5 A B C D E Printed in the USA

STAARGRADE 3ReadingApril 2015